Browsing: Europe

Europe is a continent and is different to the European Union.

Switzerland’s non-membership of the EU means it is viewed as more neutral than countries like Austria, Ireland or Sweden.

Talking Europe hosts Andrej Plenkovic, the prime minister of Croatia. We unpack the dense agenda of the October 26-27 EU Council and debrief the summit’s conclusions on the Israel-Hamas war, particularly the call for “humanitarian corridors and pauses” to ensure aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. We also discuss developments in southeastern Europe, such as the recent re-introduction of border checks, and ask what those mean for Croatia and the other countries concerned.

Almost a month into the war between Israel and Hamas, the European Union is still struggling to speak with one voice. While EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed unconditional support for Israel, some of her own staff have signed a letter criticising her position, along with employees from other EU institutions. Some EU member states continue to express strong support for Israel, such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, while others worry that such stances may harm the bloc’s image.

Reporting from Brussels, FRANCE 24’s Dave Keating says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dominating the agenda at the EU foreign ministers meeting Monday. The big question is whether the 27-member bloc can agree on a call for a humanitarian ceasefire. But the EU has long been split on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Belgian Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborne said on Friday he has decided to step down, following pressure over how Belgium had handled the case of a Tunisian gunman who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and killed two people in Brussels this week.

In this edition we focus on Poland, where opposition parties have won enough seats in the parliamentary election to oust the ruling conservative Law and Justice party after eight years in power. To analyse this major shift and what it means for Poland’s place in the EU, we speak to Danuta Hübner, a member of the main opposition Civic Platform party. She’s a former Europe minister for Poland and a former European commissioner who’s now an MEP in the European Parliament. 

Another war at Europe’s doorstep. Tensions are felt all the way here, so why is it so hard to get the messaging right?

Critics of the European Commission president coming down like a ton of bricks on Ursula Von der Leyen after a visit to Israel where the former German defense minister left out language on the suffering of Palestinians. She later rectified.